Kamenicë, 19 August 2026
Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, attended the Commemorative Academy held to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of National Hero Metush Krasniqi, at the square named after him in Kamenicë.
Prior to the ceremony, Prime Minister Kurti paid tribute and laid fresh flowers at the statue of Metush Krasniqi, in the square bearing his name.
Prime Minister Kurti highlighted the unifying role he played among his fellow activists and among the various groups and circles of political activists of his time, adding that “this quality of Metush Krasniqi, of bringing people closer together and uniting them, seems to have become part of his legacy as well, as Metush Krasniqi continues to unite us even four decades after his death.”
Recalling the life and political activity of Metush Krasniqi, the Prime Minister said that he was one of the political activists with the clearest political awareness, the clearest vision for the national cause of Albanians living under Yugoslavia, and the most multifaceted activity aimed at separating the Albanian-inhabited territories from Yugoslavia and uniting them with Albania.
Full speech by Acting Prime Minister Kurti:
Esteemed Krasniqi family,
Esteemed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, Ms. Donika Gërvalla,
Esteemed families of the nation’s martyrs, persons with disabilities from the Liberation War, and KLA veterans,
Esteemed Mayor of the Municipality of Kamenicë, Kadri Rahimaj,
Esteemed Chairman of the Association of Former Political Prisoners, Shefik Sadiku,
Esteemed Member of Parliament Shaip Kamberi,
Esteemed Rector of “Kadri Zeka” Public University in Gjilan, Fitore Mala,
Esteemed representatives of state institutions and local government,
Esteemed officers, police officers and soldiers of Kosovo,
Esteemed fellow activists and former political prisoners from all Albanian-inhabited territories and from all periods,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Brothers and sisters,
Everyone who knew Metush Krasniqi and worked alongside him has always highlighted the unifying role he played among his fellow activists, and among the various groups and circles of political activists of his time. And this quality of Metush Krasniqi, of bringing people closer together and uniting them, seems to have become part of his legacy as well, since Metush Krasniqi continues to unite us even four decades after his death. Just as we gathered here in Kamenicë on 26 November 2024 for the unveiling of the statue of Metush Krasniqi, today we have returned to commemorate his life, but above all, his political work, on the 40th anniversary of his death.
If we had to identify several keywords in the political history of Kosovo, I believe that, inevitably, we would have to include the word “prison” among them. This is because the political history of Kosovo during the 20th century is inseparably linked to dozens of prisons in Kosovo and throughout Yugoslavia, where thousands of Albanian political activists spent tens of thousands of years in prison because of their political convictions and activities. In addition to the thousands of martyrs and fallen heroes killed by the repressive regimes of Serbia-dominated Yugoslavia, Albanians also paid for the liberation of Kosovo with many years of their personal lives spent in prisons, amid torture, violence, hunger, cold, illness, and encounters with death.
And if, in the list of keywords for the political history of Kosovo, after the word “prison” we were to add proper names, one of them would undoubtedly be the name of Metush Krasniqi. It would be because, after Adem Demaçi, but also alongside Baci Adem, Metush Krasniqi proved to be one of the political activists with the clearest political awareness, the clearest vision of the national cause of the Albanians left under Yugoslavia, and the most multifaceted political activity aimed at liberating the Albanian-inhabited territories from Yugoslavia and uniting them with Albania.
With Metush Krasniqi’s fellow activists who are here with us today, and with the documentary exhibition prepared by the State Archives Agency of Kosovo and the television documentary dedicated to Metush Krasniqi, naturally, there is little we can add to the biographical information about him.
But as Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, I would like to focus particularly on several political statements made by Metush Krasniqi and others associated with him.
As we trace and assess the history of half a century ago from the vantage point of the present, we are in a comfortable position to read and properly evaluate the events of that time. Yet, when his words and actions from half a century ago and beyond are viewed through the eyes of today, what is truly striking is the clarity with which Metush Krasniqi perceived the developments of his time, and his ability to position himself and articulate them so precisely through statements and actions of historical significance.
At the height of the period of state violence exercised by Aleksandar Ranković in Kosovo, in 1957, Metush Krasniqi, together with Sejdi Kryeziu, Mark Gashi, Xhemajl Kallaba and Mehmet Ajeti, founded the covert organization known as the Revolutionary Party for the Unification of Albanian Lands with the Motherland. On that occasion, following a solemn oath over the national flag, Metush Krasniqi delivered a speech in which he said: “The national rights of Albanians in Kosovo are being trampled upon. They are not equal to the other peoples that make up Yugoslavia. The Albanian officials holding various positions are not worthy representatives of the people.” As early as 1957, Metush Krasniqi, together with military officer Bardh Gashi, outlined plans for the establishment of a liberation army for the Albanian-inhabited territories under Yugoslavia. But, as we know, more than three decades would have to pass before this idea became a reality in the Kosovo Liberation Army.
A year later, in June 1958, from the city of Skopje, where he had relocated, Metush Krasniqi and his fellow activists drafted and issued a proclamation which read as follows:
“Let all the people of Kosovo rise up against the barbaric Yugoslav regime, for the unification of Kosovo with Albania. Let us strike a crushing blow against the bureaucratic and Titoist caste. Brothers of Kosovo, rise up in struggle against a life of slavery. Sing the liberation song, let the glorious Flag fly; show the world that a proud people does not live in bondage.
Unity – Freedom
Kosovo – Albania”
This call issued by Metush Krasniqi in early summer 1958 would become a rallying cry for all of Kosovo in the late 1990s, when the people of Kosovo truly demonstrated to the world their determination not to live in bondage and the strength of their resistance for freedom. A few months later, on 3 November 1958, Metush Krasniqi was arrested and imprisoned. During a trial held at the District Court in Gjilan from 1 to 7 March 1959, Metush Krasniqi made a statement that today can be read as a surgical analysis of the Yugoslav regime’s policies towards Albanians and of the situation in Kosovo at the time:
“First, Kosovo is being ruthlessly exploited by the Yugoslav authorities, while the Albanian people are being treated as they were under the Kingdom of Yugoslavia; they do not enjoy the most basic rights in any area of life, whether in employment, administration, healthcare, education, culture, etc. Second, the violence against the Albanian people has not ceased under Tito’s ‘people’s’ government of Yugoslavia. I ask the question: how many Albanians have been executed without trial from November 1944 until today? How many killings have taken place in the name of ‘enemies’ of the state? Tens of thousands of Albanians… There may even be more than 20,000 throughout the Albanian-inhabited territories in Yugoslavia. Third, the weapons campaign was carried out only in Kosovo in order to disarm the Albanians. Why was the same campaign not carried out in the other republics? Why this violence and these violent deaths of Albanians? Why was one rifle sold dozens of times? Why were Albanians subjected to that terror in the name of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia?”
In summary, in the paragraph I have just read, we have a political analysis and political position, with evidence-based information, specific accusations, and clearly articulated arguments. We are reading the words of a man who deeply believed in equality and hoped for freedom, while devoting himself to the struggle for it.
Nine years later, Metush Krasniqi was once again at the forefront of events, as one of the ideologues of the 1968 demonstrations. Nine years after that, in 1974, he once again played the role expected of him when, at his home in the village of Dajkoc, on 2, 3 and 4 June, he continued precisely by agreeing with Baci Adem Demaçi that the differences among the various political groups and organisations regarding ideology and Enver Hoxha’s communist regime in Albania should be set aside in their common struggle for the liberation of Kosovo and its unification with Albania.
The times changed, and the twists and turns of events layered one development upon another, from the Revolutionary Party for the Unification of Albanian Lands with the Motherland in 1957 to the National Liberation Movement of Kosovo and Other Albanian Regions in Yugoslavia in 1977. In between came numerous arrests and many years spent in prisons in Gjilan, Nish, Mitrovica and Prishtina. This continued until the final torture sessions, which lasted from 4 November 1985 to 17 June 1986 and ultimately proved fatal for Metush Krasniqi.
A human life permeated throughout by activities and commitment to the freedom of his people. A true historical actor who, with his feet firmly on the ground, shaped the history of his homeland, immersing himself in the currents of his time, beyond the conditions and possibilities available to him, with one sole goal: the freedom of Kosovo and the affirmation of the political will of its people.
Therefore, glory to Metush Krasniqi for all that he did and endured for the freedom of Kosovo, which we live in and enjoy together today!
Thank you for organising this event and for your attention!
